Taking that Leap
by syntax glory
Summary: *UPDATED/ch3* This is going to focus on Ami, and a to-be relationship with a very [or so she thinks] stubborn and smug guy named Zoisite in her life. Is it just her friends, or is it that whenever Zoisite's around, Ami's acting weird?
1. Chapter One

Taking that Leap [CHAPTER ONE]                                                             **by tierce**

"Odango Atama," Rei retorted.

"I can't believe you did that either!" added Lita, who was still shaking her head in surprise. "I mean—wow, I know you hate Mamoru with your guts and everything, but _really_. Did you have to go and do that?"

Minako nodded in total agreement, the red bow in her hair bobbing along with the rest of her head. "Yeah—did you really have to dump your chocolate milkshake all over his hair?"

The blonde subject let out a frustrated screech, her face scrunched. "Why are all of you blaming _meee_?? He _provoked_ me to do it!"

"Provoked?" the raven-haired priestess asked sarcastically.

Ami looked from one face to the other and simply let out a sigh. It was yet another argument, but it was one that had been fought many times until it hardly felt like a heated conversation anymore. It just seemed to become a main part of their day—Usagi and Mamoru insulting each other and then Usagi storming out of the arcade in anger, with her friends following like a row of ducks.

"Heeeeeeeeee dddddiiiiiiiiddddddddddddd," Usagi whined, balling her hands into fists at her side, probably setting a new world record for the longest whine possible in a human.

Lita rolled her green eyes heavenward. "God. You two are like an old married couple, I swear."

Usagi turned deathly pale as she advanced on the brunette, her mouth a gaping cavern in her face. "Don't you EVER say that again, you hear me Lita? NEVER EVER EVER!!"

"Well _gosh_, if Mamoru and you weren't acting like one in the first place, I wouldn't say that!" Lita retorted, exchanging exasperated looks with Rei.

"Hey how was that math quiz?" Ami suddenly piped up, tactfully changing the subject.

"I think I did pretty much okay on it," Lita decided, "of course that last question was sorta tricky…"

Minako shrugged. "Not too badly I hope. Geometry just _isn't_ my thing."

"Odango Atama?" Rei asked sweetly, knowing fully well what the blonde fourteen-year-old's answer was going to be.

Usagi glared at her, sticking out her tongue. "You know, pyro!" She said accusingly, pointing a finger at the seemingly innocent priestess.

"Ditz," Rei responded scathingly, humming softly to herself.

"Ok-_ay_, time out!" Minako interrupted, getting in between the two teen girls. "I don't need to hear a repeat conversation!"

"Repeat?" Lita asked. "Ohh I see, they're goin' to argue just as if Mamoru was here and teasing Usa. Meh, not much of a biggie now, we're like _so_ jaded."

"Don't even say it," warned Usagi.

Lita looked affronted. "Say what?"

The blonde groaned, smacking her face with her hands. "Ugh! I hate this," she exclaimed, beginning to thunk her head on the glass coffee table in Minako's house.

"Hey!" Minako said. "I just cleaned that!"

"I can tell Meens. There's no beauty magazines or comic books piled on it," Usagi replied in a muffled voice.

"But there is a lot of orange nail polish on it, Mina—Usagi! Get your head off the table," suggested Ami. "I think you broke one of Mina's nail polish bottles."

Minako looked horrified as she dashed over. "She WHAT?" She practically yanked Usagi away and let out a shriek. "USAGI! Oh my god, how am I supposed to get rid of that?" She fell to her knees. "Oh man… my parents are going to kill me when they get home and see this. Usagi!" She wailed, clutching her hands to her pasty face.

"Odango Atama! Watch where you're putting your head next time!" Rei scolded.

Lita stuck a finger on the wet surface and examined it. "I think you're in luck Meens, if you've got some rags and nail polish remover handy."

"Hold on, I'll go check my room," Minako said with audible relief.

"Are you expanding your repertoire of laughable acts?" Rei asked woundingly.

Usagi threw a death glare at her. "You pyro, shut up." She put a hand to her forehead and then let out an ear-piercing scream. "My bangs! They're covered in nail polish!" Running towards the bathroom, she fumbled with the light switch before flicking it on, to examine her golden locks in the mirror. "Argh!"

Ami and Rei poked their heads into the bathroom, and saw what Usagi was shrieking over.

"Calm down Odango, I'm sure we can cut off the parts where there's nail polish on," Rei snickered, her violet eyes alight with mischievousness.

"Argh! Mom is gonna kill me if she sees that I cut my hair!" The blonde moaned, clutching at her forehead.

"Perhaps we can wash it out somehow," Ami said aloud, looking on the counters. "I'm not too sure if nail polish remover and shampoo would work, but it's better to give it a try than just cut it off, right?" She looked towards her raven-haired companion for reassurance.

Rei grumbled, "Oh… all right." What she would've given to be able to snip off the strands of her ditzy friend's hair! It was a rare moment, and Ami just had to spoil it with her knowledgeable and sensible suggestions. Still, she supposed, it would've been a bit on the mean side to ruin Usagi's hair, even if hair _did_ grow. She sure wouldn't have wanted to go outside looking like a lawn mower had gone over her head!

Usagi looked like she could have hugged both of the girls in a fierce embrace, if it weren't for the slim possibility that she might get some of that nail polish on Rei and risk a certified pyromaniac on the rampage out for blonde ditz blood. "Thank you sooo much Ami!"

The blue-haired-girl only permitted a smile on her face. "It was nothing really. What you should really hope for is that Mina and Lita didn't use the entire bottle of remover on the coffee table. The drug store is ten blocks away."

"And it looks like it's going to rain soon," Rei remarked, squinting at the bay window ten feet away.

"NOOO! Rei—grab that bottle now! I need it more for my hair!" squealed Usagi desperately.

"As if!" Rei snorted. "If you didn't just thunk your head anywhere, you wouldn't have broken the bottle of nail polish in the first place. And you wouldn't be making Lita and Minako clean it off the coffee table! Do you know how annoyingly difficult it is to clean off nail polish?" the priestess asked bitingly.

Usagi narrowed her eyes. "Sadistic pyro."

"Klutzy ditz."

"Stop it you two!" Ami interrupted. "I'm sure they'll leave enough for Usagi to be able to take the nail polish out of her hair. But Rei is right, Usagi, you do need to be more careful next time. You're lucky you didn't get glass shards in your head."

"Why does everyone _always_ take Rei's side?" Usagi said, pouting. Rei only let out an exasperated sigh as she stormed out of the bathroom, mumbling darkly under her breath about what sort of fate she'd like to wish upon blonde klutzes.

  


He stepped out of the airport, slipping on a pair of aviator sunglasses to avoid the harsh glare of the sun. Blinking once, he then turned around to make sure his companions were still with him and their baggage still secured onto two carts. Seeing that all was well, his face broke into a huge smile. "So this is Japan," he said.

One of his friends, a rather tall blonde man with close-cropped hair rolled his eyes. "That was a _brilliant_ welcoming, Zoi. Simply _brilliant_, I've never heard more significant words!" He held a hand to his heart, his fingers splayed across his chest.

"Oh be quiet already Jade, I don't need to hear your sarcasm right now." Kunzite said curtly, eyeing the jokester. Kunzite was the leader of the group, and had shoulder-length silvery-white hair that he typically left alone. He also had amazing grey eyes which could bore into you and make you stand still, his eyes were mesmerizing tornadoes. "I just wanna get to our place and crash."

Zoisite grinned. "Hey Neph, why so silent?"

Nephrite glanced up. "Huh? Oh I was just thinking." He said, his voice trailing off.

"Thinking of what? A girl?" Jadeite laughed. "Damn we just got here and already you're thinking of getting a girlfriend? You move fast!"

The brown-haired Nephrite glared at Jadeite. "At least I use my brain," he shot back.

"Calm down!" Zoisite interrupted, surprised at his friend. Nephrite usually ignored Jadeite, but instead, he had just fired right back at the blonde jokester. "Sheesh. We just got here and already!"

Jadeite rolled his eyes. "Please Zoi. Spare the drama."

"Damn! Here you go Zoi, here's your twenty bucks." Kunzite muttered, resentfully pulling out a crisp bill from his wallet and giving it over to Zoisite.

Zoisite grinned. "Haha, I knew it!"

"Hey—what's this about?!" Nephrite demanded.

"Oh… just a little bet," Kunzite said.

"A bet? About us?!" Jadeite asked in disbelief.

"Hey, not like it affects you," Zoisite chuckled, pocketing his money.

Jadeite sulked. "No fair—I want twenty bucks!"

Kunzite laughed. "Zoi and I had a bet for twenty bucks. I bet that you'd be sufferin' from jet lag. Zoisite bet you'd be your normal, hyperactive self. Obviously, I lost."

"What? How come I wasn't in on this?" Nephrite asked enviously.

"Meh. You should've told us," Kunzite grinned. "Still. What a waste of twenty bucks!"

"Ahh your loss Kun, you shouldn't have bothered to bet twenty bucks." The brown-haired man replied at last.

"I feel like such a tool," commented Jadeite, watching his friends.

Zoisite checked his watch. "Jade, isn't your uncle supposed to be here by now?"

The blonde man shrugged. "What's today?"

"Uhh…" Nephrite scrunched up his face. "I think it's the… twelfth of July. Yes. It's the twelfth of July."

Jadeite slapped his hand over his mouth. "Oops." He chuckled nervously.

"What?" Kunzite asked suspiciously. "What is it?"

"Heheh…" Jadeite groaned. "Um do you want good news or bad news?"

"Just tell us!" Zoisite said.

"Well I told my uncle to pick us up on the thirteenth—"

"You fool!" Nephrite yelled, smacking his friend on his back hard.

"Oww!"

"Hey calm down guys!" Zoisite instructed. "We can always call a taxi—as long as Jade actually knows his uncle's address. Otherwise, we'll kill you Jadie," he grinned cheekily.

"Jadie?"

Kunzite rolled his eyes melodramatically. "God. So much for preparedness."

"Oh shut up Kun," Jadeite grumbled as he began searching for the elusive slip of paper containing his uncle's address. "How much have we got in yen with us right now?"

"Not a lot," Nephrite told him. "Between Zoi's new twenty and my one thousand yen, we don't have enough for a taxi to take us a foot. If we're even lucky, that is."

"No problem, I'm sure we'll manage someway." Kunzite decided, tapping his chin thoughtfully.

"We better," Zoisite replied, shooting death glares at Jadeite who immaturely stuck out his tongue.

The blonde dug through his pant pocket and pulled out a slip of paper, a stick of rock-solid gum, a dead roach, a tissue and a bunch of lint. "HEY! I FOUND IT!" Eagerly, he yanked open the folded paper and gasped when he heard a ripping sound. "Oh no…"

"Idiot! Is it still legible?" Zoisite demanded, wanting to throttle some sense into the jokester.

Kunzite grabbed the remains of the paper from Jadeite and his eyes quickly scanned the scrawled type. "Yeah it's fine."

"Well then, Minato-ku, here we come!"

Author's note:

            I reformatted the fic `cause Word added an extra annoying space in between each sentence. So hopefully now when it gets posted, there won't be giant gaps in between each sentence—that's my own pet peeve. =P And to think I inadvertently formatted the document like that… hehe.

Thanks to Venus Smurf, Katya and amphitrite for reviewing. =) And you're right amphitrite, nothing really happened. I wasn't sure of what else to add so I figured I'd post whatever I already had and see the reaction. I added a lot more to this chapter, and would it kill anyone if I said that Zoisite, Jadeite, Nephrite and Kunzite just moved to Japan and are going to attend Juuban High? Hehe, well I already did so too late! ^^ Anyways, thank you all for reading, and much love to the reviewers~ reviews=motivation for me to write more. Plus, I know what you guys think and it helps that you tell me what you think needs to be done, etc. By the way, Zoisite and the gang are probably goin` to be OOC. I don't think I remember their personalities—not when they were bad guys of course. So Jadeite will become the jokester, Nephrite the dreamer and stargazer, Zoisite the sarcastic genius and Kunzite the bravest and sometimes moodiest. Sorry if this pisses anyone off ^^.

And of course, I need to list ages so you don't get confused. Um hopefully I'm correct, I haven't watched SM in ages. Usagi and her friends are all 14. Mamoru is 17 and Zoisite, Jadeite, Nephrite and Kunzite are all 16. Is that relatively good enough? I think I saw somewhere that Mamoru went to college earlier, so that's why I made him "that" young. I think the norm for his age was around 21--but then he'd be dating a 14-year-old? SM isn't another Lolita… ::cough cough:: =P excuse my digression.

            Mailing list, anybody? perpetuallimit@hotmail.com Name + addy, and the word 'mailing list' in the subject line, along with whatever fic you're interested in getting update reminders for. You get the exclusive first paragraph preview and notification of when the next chapter's posted. And it's free! =) Ok... let's lock myself up.

                                                                                                                        -tierce

                                                                                                                        25-Feb-03


	2. Chapter Two

Taking that Leap [CHAPTER TWO]                                                                        **by tierce**

He stood there, quiet but magnificent in his typical get-up. His flowing black cape with the red underside swirled about him, and the silky smooth material of his tuxedo seemed barely wrinkled. The top hat perched on his head at a jaunty and dashing angle, and once more, his eyes were obscured by the white half-mask he wore to hide his identity. Nevertheless, he was still Tuxedo Kamen. The man who saved her, who aided her, who made her get that warm fuzzy and ticklish feeling inside whenever she saw him. Especially when he would throw a razor-sharp rose.

Usagi sighed dreamily, as suddenly, he came closer to her. His shoes made clicking sounds with every step across the smooth expanse of pavement and he seemed to regard her with indifference. However, the smile on his lips told her otherwise—those kissable lips… what'd she give to get close enough to at least hear the beating of his heart, or feel his breathing across her neck.

Tuxedo Kamen approached her, and his cape blew to his left. The wind whistled lightly, as if respecting the two heroes.

"Sailor Moon," he called out in a rich voice, which nearly made her fall with delight.

"Tuxedo Kamen!" She responded breathlessly, enchanted with the way in which his bangs blew across his perfect face.

The tuxedo-clad hero took one last step towards her, and enfolded her within his cloak. In a daze, she looked up to see his handsome features and nearly fainted when he smiled impossibly wider.

"I think it's time we reveal our identities, Sailor Moon."

"Yes," she breathed, her heart quickening with every passing second. "Yes we should," she babbled. She felt light-headed and woozy, as if she couldn't even stand by herself without support. Tuxedo Kamen was about to reveal his true identity to her, and then she would tell him who she was. And then they would realize that each was still just as lovely as a normal person and fall in love and get married. Usagi saw a long span of walkway, pure red rose petals falling gently in the fragrant air. In the background, soft music played, and people stood up from their benches to congratulate the beautiful blonde bride walking down to meet her husband, whose eyes glittered with pride and joy. She strained her eyes to see who her husband was, but frowned at the shadow he was standing in that hid his face.

"Sailor Moon?"

His deep voice brought her out of her little reverie. "Huh?" She asked stupidly.

"Are you alright?"

"Of course I am," she reddened, embarrassed at having him caught her fantasizing.

Tuxedo Kamen smiled and his hands slowly went up to the edges of his white mask. She trembled with excitement, her blue eyes shining. Unhurriedly, his hands pulled forward the piece of cloth before they carelessly dropped the mask. It fluttered to the floor like a butterfly in a downward descent, she noticed. He then opened his eyes and smirked, causing her to scream.

"Mamoru baka?! AGHHH!"

"Odango Atama! How nice to see you," he sneered, releasing her from his hold.

She started to scream.

---

Usagi woke up screaming, and realized with a start that it had all been just a dream. An extremely disturbing dream. She shuddered, recalling the anticipation she had felt and then the downright shock when Tuxedo Kamen had revealed himself as none other than that arrogant jerk Mamoru.

Luna pounced onto her curled up frame, shaking her tail furiously behind her. "Usagi!" She scolded. "Did you dream there were monsters under your bed?" Her tone was both sarcastic and scathing.

Usagi threw a pillow furiously at her black cat. "Do you have to act like I'm five? What time is it anyways?"

"Eleven o'clock, why ask?" Luna responded sarcastically, pushing the lacy pink pillow away with distaste. Usagi's entire bedroom was decorated in varying shades of pink, and it was more than enough for the black cat to want to choke to death. It seemed like there was lace decorating EVERYTHING in the room. Lace pillows, lace sheets, lace-edged rug, the cat could rave on incessantly and still not be done.

Usagi stuck out her tongue. "You know, you should be encouraging me and praising me, not insulting me Luna. It doesn't help my self-confidence as a person and as Sailor Moon."

The feline rolled her eyes in disgust. "I'm surprised at the language you're using Usagi. Did all those vocabulary flash cards really help?" Her tone had changed to something more nurturing and thoughtful. "If they did, we should use flash cards more often since they seem to be more effective."

"Usagi!" A voice yelled from downstairs. "Breakfast is ready!"

"Yay! Yummy pancakes!" The fourteen-year-old shrieked eagerly and made a mad run for the bathroom to wash up. "Shingo! You better not eat them all!"

Luna sighed in exasperation. "Why me?"

  
  


"Jadeite, you're dead today." Kunzite growled.

"What did I do now?!" wailed Jadeite, as he ran some slick gel through his blonde hair.

"Nothing, nothing at all," Zoisite laughed. "Kunzite's just being grouchy again, duh. It's like twelve o'clock and you know how ol` Kun likes waking up nice and early to exercise."

Nephrite grinned. "Who wants to bet Kunzite's still gonna be grouchy by the end of the day? I bet treating all of us to pizza for lunch!"

Kunzite glared at each of his friends. "You guys are the greatest. Seem to like betting about me all the time," he commented sarcastically.

"It's not the end of the world if you overslept by like six hours," snickered Jadeite.

"We did have jet lag, and it was a long flight. A nice long sleep was good." Zoisite said, hoping that his words wouldn't further enrage the silver-haired man. A testy Kunzite wasn't the best thing, especially when they were to run around the neighborhood in search of a cool hangout place and girls.

Toshio Watanabe, Jadeite's uncle, appeared in the large guest room his nephew and friends were staying in. He was a somewhat stout man, with light brown hair and brown eyes. "Udon noodles for breakfast, because Ryoko hasn't bought groceries yet." Ryoko was his wife of two years. She was a petite blue-eyed redhead and looked vulnerable although under that fragile veneer was a will of steel.

"Noodles?" Jadeite groaned, his hair falling into his eyes. "I hate noodles. Especially for breakfast!"

His uncle chuckled heartily. "If Ryoko were to hear you Jade, boy, she'd be serving your head for breakfast to your friends. She prides herself in her cooking, and let me tell you, she's an excellent cook. So do a favor, Jadeite, don't insult her cooking under this roof or you might find yourself a homeless bum."

"I like noodles," Nephrite piped up, grinning at the dirty look Jadeite threw him.

"Suck up," Jadeite muttered under his breath. "Stupid dirty suck-up."

Kunzite rolled his eyes. "You should be grateful your uncle even offered up his place for us all to stay Jadeite. So don't get out of your uncle's favor or I'll make sure to completely disembowel you."

Jadeite winced at the threat. "Okay okay, I'll eat the noodles!"

"Eating them isn't what matters," Zoisite reminded, "Not criticizing them is what matters."

"So remember, if you diss your aunt's cooking, Kunzite disembowels you and we'll all end up scrounging around for a cheap motel," Nephrite summed up, his voice gleeful.

The blonde put his head in his hands. "Everyone hates me. Everyone."

Toshio chuckled once more. "It's great to see you again, Jadeite." He turned and left, his chortling loud enough to resonate throughout the entire two-floor structure.

"So what's up for today?" Zoisite asked.

"We look for a cool hang-out place. We look for hot girls. What else is there? Looking for the library?" Jadeite answered, searching for his elusive sneakers in his suitcase.

Zoisite glared. "Not cool buddy. I am not a bookworm!"

"Sure, you're not. Geek," Jadeite joked.

"Shut up both of you," Kunzite warned, still pissed over the fact that he had overslept and by a long shot to boot!

"Ooh la la, someone's feeling the PMS!"

Nephrite snorted. "Kunzite's really gonna get you now!"

And so the silver-haired-man did. Grabbing his sword from the desk stand, he ran after Jadeite who was screaming bloody murder and had only one shoe on. Nephrite and Zoisite stepped out of the way, not wanting to get involved. When Kunzite was mad, he was _mad_.

"I feel sorry for Jadeite." Zoisite remarked.

Nephrite shook his head. "Nah. He provoked Kunzite in the first place Zoi."

"Good point," Zoisite decided. "I bet uhh…" He dug through his pockets for anything remotely interesting to bet. "I bet a pack of gum that Kunzite disembowels Jadeite!"

"You really think so? Kunzite's threatened him before, but never really went through with his threats. Whatever. I bet a hundred yen that Jadeite's uncle appears and stops them." Nephrite responded, laughing a little at the hilarious sight. Plus, seeing Jadeite yell his head off while begging for mercy was an event that happened only once in a blue moon. "Hey, got a video camcorder?"

"Nah. I wish though. This is really funny."

Kunzite pursued the jokester fervently, his sword raised and in slicing position. He figured he'd cut off an arm or two--teach Jadeite a lesson. Meanwhile Jadeite was feeling the burn in his side. He realized just how unfit he was, and decided he better join Kunzite on his daily morning exercise routine. That is, if he got out of this intact and all in one piece of course.

"So… so tired," he panted, slowing down gradually. His lungs ached from all the screaming he had done and his legs hurt from the mad scrambling. "K-kunzite… so… sorry… will you… forgive and… forget?"

"DIE!" Kunzite's passionate battle mantra told him otherwise.

Jadeite began shrieking his head once more. "I'm too young to die! I've got a girlfriend waiting for me somewhere out there! I've got millions yet to be made and spent! I like my life! I always wanted to live long and die of old age! Agh! Please! Help me! Zoisite, Nephrite, any of you! Help!"

Zoisite almost fell off the bed laughing. His cheeks were beginning to hurt from laughing so long, and tears were slowly starting to leak out from the corner of his eyes. He noticed Nephrite was doing the exact same.

"Maybe," wheezed Nephrite, "we should stop them."

"You think?"

Nephrite flashed a painful grin.

"Nahh!" They both chimed together and burst into laughter once more as Kunzite began carving the air with his wicked sharp sword, mere inches away from Jadeite.

Author's note:

            Thanks to the reviews once again. Yeah, I don't seem to end my chapters at a good interesting point so they tend to not make sense. ;] Ooh and sorry if you guys think Luna's OOC. I'm having this feeling all the characters will be OOC, although some not as much as others. That's what you get for writing fanfiction when you haven't watched the show in over two years.

            Anyone up for offering suggestions as to what should happen in the next chapter? Just drop me a review or hit me at my email addy. perpetuallimit@hotmail.com And yes, the mailing list is still up.

            See you next chapter!

                                                                                                                        -tierce

                                                                                                                        9-Mar-03


	3. Chapter Three

Taking that Leap [CHAPTER THREE] By tierce  
  
Disclaimer: Naoko Takeuchi is the owner of Sailor Moon. I am thy humble writer of fanfics :] Author's Notes: I am SO sorry for not updating this sooner. I just didn't have the time.but yeah so as to stop keeping you waiting, I present you with chapter three. =)  
  
----------------------------------------  
  
Ami stretched her arms, blinking rapidly in the space of two seconds. She then got up, turning off her computer and capping her blue pen. Meticulously, she picked up the papers and straightened them before placing them into a clear plastic folder. She had been working on a personal research project since Juuban High had not sent its students any summer material to do. "Pity, it'd be nice to be doing some summer reading for school."  
  
Making her way towards the door, she impulsively stopped by the mirror Minako had gotten her for Christmas. She flushed, remembering that day, when she had asked rather bluntly exactly why she would need such a frivolous thing. The blonde girl had only grinned, refusing to explain. So it was somewhat surprising when Ami found herself looking into the reflection that stared back at her.  
  
She wasn't a pretty girl, she supposed, just average with plain blue eyes and plain dark blue hair. Ok well maybe not so average with the blue hair but still. That was getting beyond the point. There wasn't anything, at least that's what she felt, that was remotely attractive to a member of the opposite sex. Then again, just about all the boys at Juuban High were still pretty immature and annoying save for a special few, like Greg.  
  
"I don't like Greg!" She blurted out loud, to no one in particular and flushed again. Where had that come from? Oh well. She honestly didn't see in him anything besides a good friend so what other people thought didn't matter to her. Only what she knew and the truth did, in her world anyways.  
  
Maybe Ami was just a bookworm but that didn't mean she didn't know how to have some sort of excitement. She just couldn't help but feel though as if she would like at least a little fun during the summer. Not any type of fun where all one had to do was call up her girlfriends, but fun involving a boy. A boy-what a surprise, she thought to herself. Only last year she would've been wide-eyed at the idea that she could enjoy passing time with boys. Well it wasn't as if she had had an earth-shattering epiphany on members of the opposite sex, so it didn't really matter. Boys could still be petty and childish in their manners, but there was that whole new side to the whole going out with a guy. OR at least as friends.  
  
Of course one couldn't discount the fact that she was Sailor Mercury. Not just some cheesy fan who dressed up as the elusive sailor and knew her every move and saying. She was the genuine girl, the real Sailor Mercury. However considering how all the Sailor Scouts had to keep their identities secret, no one would really know that Mizuno Ami actually saved the world at night or in daylight with her friends. No one would ever even think that Ami fought Youma and other unsavory creatures so as to protect the world from evil. It was better to let people think she was a bookish grind who just studied all day long and never had fun. Besides it was nice to keep a secret, it made her feel at least a little bit more important and better whenever she felt somewhat down.  
  
Her thoughts abruptly took a sharp turn and wandered to the previous day's proceedings.  
  
"Hmm I wonder if Usagi ever did get all that nail polish out of her hair," The blue-haired girl mused, remembering yesterday's rather humorous events. They had all gone over to Minako's house to watch a movie and partake in some good old gossiping. Usagi, being the spur-of-the-moment and regrettably clumsy girl she was, had inadvertently broken a bottle of Mina's nail polish on her coffee table. The contents had spilt all over the table and onto her hair. It took quick thinking and determination to get the table clean as new again and wash out most of the polish in her hair. Yet Usagi still had to walk home that night with rather stiff bangs, there still being some residue much to her dismay.  
  
Ami went over to her end table, grabbing her light blue wallet and sticking it into a small black bag. Her room wasn't much to look at. It was neat and functional, precisely the way she wanted it. So if it was a bit sparse or lacking in charisma, she never really noticed. The walls were unoriginally white, various ink paintings aesthetically hung around her room. There were two large windows, with white curtains tucked back by a silken cord. There was a white bookcase filled with classics and schoolbooks. The carpet was soft but not exactly sumptuous, a banal white in color. There was a sleek silver desk in the corner of the room, with a state-of-the-art desktop computer, phone and several textbooks on it. The swivel chair, gray and black, was pushed against the desk. There were two white end tables at each side of her bed, one with a vase of dried orchids, the other with an alarm clock. Her bed was twin-sized with a silver headboard, white sheets, white pillowcase, white bedspread and white covers. Needless to say, Ami's room looked quite sterile. Just like an operating room.  
  
"If we're lucky, Mamoru won't be there and Usagi won't be arguing all day again," She giggled. Mamoru and Usagi quite honestly did act like an old married couple. They were so used to one another but just could never stop getting into fights. And to think it all started with a flying test paper. "It'd be nice if I met a boy in a weird way like Usagi did," a little voice in her head whispered.  
  
+++  
  
"Can we get going already?" Jadeite groaned from the bottom of the stairs, where he paced back and forth across the carpet like a starving panther. Damn it he didn't come all the way to Japan just to wait for Kunzite to fix his hair when he had better things to do! No, he was a man on a major mission, meeting hot single girls!  
  
Zoisite rolled his blue-green eyes in disgust at his friend's impatience, almost sniffing. "You think I want to wait forever?"  
  
"Hey chill you two, we don't need Kunzite to get all pissy again ok? Or have you forgotten what he was about to do to you yesterday huh Jade?" Nephrite cut in warningly.  
  
"Okay sheesh, don't remind me!" The blonde man said, clearly recalling the humiliating events. Having ticked off Kunzite, he had had to deal with a sword-wielding maniac who wouldn't stop chasing him and two useless friends who just stood there and laughed. At him! "Lousy friends," he muttered under his breath.  
  
"What was that?" Zoisite asked sharply.  
  
"Nothing!" Jadeite said hastily, beaming cheekily. "Nothing at all!"  
  
Finally Kunzite appeared at the landing, and made his way down the stairs smoothly. "Are we ready to go?"  
  
"Took long-mmmfph!" Jadeite was cut off by Nephrite who had very calmly walked up to him and clapped a rather foul-smelling dish rag to his mouth. With all his strength Jadeite shoved him away and gagged. "Ugh! That was low for you Nephrite! And where did you get that?"  
  
Nephrite chuckled. "Where else? The kitchen sink of course, duh."  
  
Kunzite raised an eyebrow but didn't comment on the lack of maturity in his two friends. "What were you about to say anyways Jadeite?"  
  
"Nothing!" Jadeite babbled. He smiled and said in a clearer voice, "It was nothing."  
  
"Okay then. So are we ready or not?" The other man asked somewhat testily.  
  
"We're all ready," Zoisite said. "I don't have a lot of cash on me and I don't know how much we're gonna need so-"  
  
Toshio appeared suddenly, carrying his wallet. "Boys, do you need some money to walk around and get a bite to eat or something?" He was Jadeite's uncle and had very graciously offered to host the boys for the summer. He even seemed to be able to sense the needs of his nephew and his companions, always showing up when they needed some advice or in this case, cash.  
  
"Yes we do, thanks a lot!" His nephew babbled, grabbing a thick set of yen from his hands. He eyed the money and practically drooled, thinking of what he could buy. "Oh man, gum, burgers, clothes, hair gel." His mind mentally made up a list of things he definitely wanted.  
  
"Just don't spend all of it in one day. I think it's more than enough to get you each a decent meal today and a couple of games. Might I suggest the Crown Game Center? Or did you boys have some other place to go?"  
  
"Where's that?" Nephrite asked, interested in the prospect of fast food and video games. He was hungry for McDonalds, but was doubtful that any of the American franchises might actually be located here in Japan.  
  
"I believe it's a five to ten minute walk from here," Ryoko appeared in the hallway with yellow gloves on and her red hair tied back, carrying a mop in one hand and a small yellow bucket in the other. "Just walk down this avenue until you see it. You can't miss it, all the teenagers go there for inexpensive food and games. The owner's a very nice young man too."  
  
"Thanks a lot!" They said and ran out the door without even saying goodbye.  
  
".Hey I bet two hundred yen that you'll be last.no you'll be last.no he'll be last." Their voices could still be heard, as they all raced for the arcade center.  
  
"Kids," Toshio laughed. "I think all they do is bet with one another!"  
  
His wife smiled and began mopping the floor. "Boys will always be boys, Toshio."  
  
----------------------------------------  
  
Author's Notes:  
  
Well that was chapter three. As you see, I got into Ami's character a bit more, because I realized my mistake with the first two chapters, where I centered on Usagi rather than Ami even though this is supposed to be all Ami. Ehh maybe one day I'll revise the whole thing but I guess that's until after I finish, eh? =) And yup, next chapter is when they all meet! And I promise it will be longer and posted within two weeks! =D  
  
-tierce  
  
31-Jul-03 


End file.
